Direct USA Foods Deceptive Sales Tactics. Does Not Respond to Customer Service Issues. Nationwide

I am completely embarrassed for falling for the Direct USA scam, and more embarrassed to admit it. It seems pretty obvious - don't buy frozen meat from a door-to-door sales person, right?  I have no clue how I could have been so naive. I'll blame my poor judgement on my pregnancy. But, since I was naive enough to fall for their scams, I'm sure many of you out there have also fallen for the too.  So, I hope that my experiences with them can help you before you make the same foolish mistake that I did and buy their products.

I was approached by a Direct USA sales representative at my home. He used their standard "sales tactic", saying he missed a delivery in the neighborhood and had a bunch of products that he could sell at a super discounted price. The sales man was pretty believable even pointing to a neighbor's house and indicating that they were the ones that had made the order. My husband and I actually never eat frozen meat, so I was at first good at warding off his sales pitch.  But, after almost a half hour of his "presentation", I agreed to buy 3 boxes of their frozen seafood.  The sales person swore the quality was high and listed several restaurants that they sold to.  Again, I was foolish to believe a stranger at my door, but I believed him about the high quality of their food.  The sales person charged me $100 for my items.  As he was swiping my credit card, he mentioned that they company also charged a 5% processing fee for credit cards.  I looked on their web site and I do not see any mention of a 5% processing fee, but for a $100 order, I feel like this is quite steep.  I assume this was just another attempt by the sales person to extort a few extra dollars from my order.

I will also say that the sales man did ask on a few occassions if he could come inside my home to use my table. I refused. After reading all the reviews on here about sales persons that may be on drugs or other substances, I am VERY happy that I did not let him into my house.  However, the sales person that I dealt with actually appeared quite professional, he knew his products, he wore a company shirt, and drove a wrapped company vehicle.

This is where my problems with this company began.  After the sales person left, I looked at the bottom of the box that my frozen shrimp came in and noticed that they gave safety handling information and instructions for grilling a steak.  This was true of all the seafood I bought.  This sparked immediate suspicion.  I started looking all over the product packaging and while things stood out like "Product of Vietnam and Product of China". I saw no evidence that this had any USDA certification.  I immediately jumped online and started researching this meat.  Wow.  That's when I read the countless number of complaints by consumers who became ill after eating the meat that they purchased from Direct USA.  I also read an article in the Tampa Bay Times from 2008 that details how Direct USA 'unknowlingly' distributied bad meat from a supplier.  Although they eventually offered refunds, I found this statement by their lawyer to be extremely concerning.  "Fee, the Direct USA attorney, said the company never conducted a recall of Quantum's meat because not all of it was bad."  Even more helpful, the article recommended reading and adhering to the USDA's recommendations when buying meat products sold door-to-door. fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/door-to-door-meat-sales/ct_index.

I really wish I had educated myself prior to making my purchase.  I will be ready for them the next time they come to door! As for me, I searched the packaging on the meat I was given and did not see an establishment number in where the meat was inspected, as recommended by the USDA.  There were also no meat grades (probably for obvious reasons).  I was also not given or offered a brochure with the company's products, a price list (which seems to be quite roving from all these online reviews), or even more importantly a copy of the sales contract for the purchase or a cancellation policy.

After this research, I did not feel confident about the safety of the meat that I was sold and I was certain it was not of a quality in which I would feel comfortable consuming as a pregnant woman or feeding to my family. I did not open my meat. I placed it in the freezer and plan to return it as soon as I can get someone from Direct USA to return my attempts to contact them.

Thankfully, I know my rights under the FTC's Cooling Off Rule and I immediately contacted Direct USA to cancel the transaction and refund my money. OF course, this is not easy with Direct USA!  In fact, it is safe to say that they are the MOST FRUSTRATING COMPANY that I have even done business with.  I first called their customer service number.  It is a recorded message that allows you to leave a voicemail with the hope of getting a call back. I have not yet received a call back.  I also left a message on their web site's customer service form.  I tried to send emails to the two addresses listed on their website info@directusafoods.com and customerservice@directusafoods.com - neither of these emails were working at the time and my messages were returned.  So, I found the email address of the owner, Steven James (sj@directusafoods.com) and I sent an email to him.  Lastly, because of their non-responsive nature to the rest of my correspondence, I sent a certified letter to their office today.  This will ensure that they receive my cancellation notice within the 3-day "cooling off period" and this can be tracked.  I am anxiously awaiting a response from one of these channels. I have a hard time believing that a reputable company - one in which I would feel confident consuming their meat products - would make it so difficult for a concerned customer to speak to a representative.  

When it comes to Direct USA, I am not telling you to buy or not buy their meat. I admit that I never even tried the meat that I purchased.  I just want to give you the information that I wish I had BEFORE I involved myself into a transaction.  My experience with this company has been considerably less than favorable and their customer service leaves MUCH to be desired.  I will update this when and if I get a response from anyone from this company.  For me, it is definitely not about the money. It is about the principal and my rights as a consumer.